Quotes Corner

Tuesday, 5 February 2013

From being small, I have loved to write - and dream. In my bedroom I had a wallpaper with flower-edged squares - just perfect for writing my 'news'. I don't think my mother was overly impressed, although I don't recall any major repercussions.

In my early teens I discovered Georgette Heyer and true love was born. There is still nobody, in my opinion, who can match her in the Regency genre. At this stage my writing career took a back seat when my other great passion - horses - led me off in another direction.

A Sense of the Ridiculous

Now I am very excited, as my Regency novel, A Sense of the Ridiculous is due to be released soon by Musa Publishing. It features squire's daughter Jocasta Stanyon, who plays a trick on her austere aunt but then her horse bolts and she ends up in the arms of handsome young innkeeper Richard Cowley...

A Sense of the Ridiculous has been through several manifestations as my writing developed and if I have learned anything during this process, it is to persevere. NEVER give up! Have faith in yourself. Rejection is part of the journey, but does not necessarily mean that you lack ability. It took my mentor and friend, Sue Johnson (www.writers-toolkit.co.uk) a long time to instil that into me. Thanks, Sue, for believing in me!

Another thing I have learned is that some publishers, like Musa, may require you to leave out certain types of text - eg. reflexive pronouns (herself, himself etc.). It has been a challenge to find alternatives at times, but very good for the little grey cells.

A Sense of the Ridiculous will be available from www.musapublishing.com, Amazon and other outlets in ebook format.

About Me

Ever since I was a small child, I have loved to write - and dream. In my bedroom I had a wallpaper with flower-edged squares - just perfect for writing my 'news'. I don't think my mother was overly impressed, although I don't recall any major repercussions.

In my early teens I discovered Georgette Heyer and a lifelong passion for historical novels was born. There is still nobody, in my opinion, who can match her in the Regency genre. At this stage my writing ambitions took a back seat when my other great passion - horses - led me off in another direction.

Now I love to write traditional Regency romances with a dash of spice Georgette would perhaps not have approved of, yet aiming to follow in her magnificent footsteps in the way of witty dialogue and engaging characters. Feelings and emotions can be sensual without action being overtly explicit!

Writing as Vandalia Black, I also pen Vampire and Shape Shifter romance short stories and novels.